Under the constitutional changes from late 2023, the Bulgarian head of state can choose the caretaker prime minister from a limited list of 10 candidates. These are the Chairman of the National Assembly Rosen Zhelyazkov /GERB/, the governor of the Bulgarian National Bank Dimitar Radev /nominated by GERB/ (or the deputy governors Andrey Gyurov, Petar Chobanov and Radoslav Milenkov), the chairman of the National Audit Office Dimitar Glavchev /GERB/ (or the vice-chairpersons Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva and Toshko Todorov) and the ombudsman or his/her deputy. 

Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva is due to sit as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in less than a month, and her deputy, Elena Cherneva-Markova, unexpectedly resigned this week.

According to the governor of the BNB, Dimitar Radev, it is not appropriate for the BNB to get involved in the political process. According to him, neither he nor any of his deputies should participate in the procedure for choosing an acting prime minister, as this would cast a political shadow on the institution, and such a decision would be in conflict with European legislation, it became clear after his meeting with the president. Dimitar Radev pointed out that after 2015, a healthy distance was achieved between the bank and the political process and forces. If Radev's speech is taken into account, the number of candidates for prime minister decreases by another 4 people.

The President also held meetings with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Rosen Zhelyazkov, and the Speaker of the National Audit Office, Dimitar Glavchev, who refused to give statements to the media. Before these meetings, the leader of the first parliamentary force GERB /in coalition with SDS/ Boyko Borisov stated that he would not allow either Zhelyazkov or Glavchev to be prime ministers in the future caretaker government.

Tomorrow, the president's meetings in search of the future caretaker prime minister will continue.